ATS says as required under French law, it will begin consulting with employees ahead of a filing for bankruptcy protection with the courts.

The Canadian company has this year failed to find a buyer for the French unit, abandoned plans for a spin-off, and recently put PWF’s 400-plus workers on short time.

It will reduce workers’ hours so that the PWF factory in Bourgoin-Jallieu – near Lyon, in southeastern France – is running at just one-third of its production capacity.

ATS